Memo to Tigers: S is for seizing your chances
07 June 2004 Herald Sun
Scott Gullan
AS DANNY Frawley likes to do, we're going back to basics in analysing the Kangaroos pumping of Richmond.
Let's start by playing a letter game. For this exercise we'll settle for the letter `S'.
STUPID: Jay Schulz. The Tigers youngster has shown in his brief career that he has a penchant for the hanger. He took another good one on Saturday night but it was another attempt in the third quarter that summed up the way Richmond went about the game.
From the kick-in Schulz took an ambitious leap that was never a realistic marking attempt and conceded a free. The Roos quickly sent the ball forward where Corey McKernan marked and goaled to put the game beyond the Tigers' reach.
Ray Hall, and to a lesser degree Nathan Brown, deserve a mention in this category for their mix-up early in the third term with the Tigers up by eight points and in control.
For some reason Hall, who had marked at 55m and is also a fairly decent kick, decided to handball to Brown who had sprinted around him. The ball missed its target, the Roos took it forward for an easy Brent Harvey goal and that was the ball game.
SELFISH: Joel Bowden has been called this a few times and in the last quarter his body language was again disgraceful. After an attempt at centring the ball from the wing was intercepted, Bowden stood and watched, shrugged his shoulders and then jogged off.
SELFLESS: Drew Petrie is the Roos gun forward but in the second half he sacrificed his own game in the most significant move of the game.
Roos coach Dean Laidley sent Petrie to play a kick behind the play in the backline which forced his opponent Darren Gaspar to follow. The result was a clogged Tigers forward half and plenty of space in the Roos' 50m.
SAVERIO: Big Sav Rocca turned back the clock and surprised even his coach with a match-winning eight goals.
STUNNING: Daniel Wells' second half through the midfield was awesome. Throw in the toughness and hardness of Daniel Harris and it is a pretty lethal onball division.
SAVED: The Kangas were thinking if they had lost their season was shot. With five wins and games against Geelong and West Coast (Canberra) before the break there is a spring back in the step.
SUB-STANDARD: Richmond's second half. After 10 minutes of the third term the Tigers led by eight points, 53 minutes later they trailed by 74. Seventeen goals to five is embarrassing.
SACK: Corey McKernan was staring at it at halftime before winding back the clock in the second half to save himself.
Half the Richmond list will be getting it in a few months time while, as for Danny, we'll use another of his favourite cliches – the writing is on the wall.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,9765348%255E19771,00.html
